Friday, January 11, 2013

Eating out

Hi all,

Steph here!

When I first joined Weight Watchers I justified the expense by telling myself I would be cutting out all fast food. I was spending over $25 a month eating out at lunch alone so cutting that out paid for my membership. Before Weight Watchers I loved eating out at lunch. Shawarma was my BIGGEST addiction and I ate there almost every other day. It came to a point where I would walk in and the owner would know who I was and ring in my order from memory. I loved it. I go in there every few weeks/months and he still knows it. Anyway, when I joined I cut shawarma out and having it once and awhile was a big treat. In time, I welcomed eating out into my life again because sometimes you really can’t avoid it.Once again I am going to talk about planning ahead of time. Dining out can still be fun if you’re trying to stay healthy. Everytime I go out for dinner with my boyfriend, friends or family I go to the restaurants website and plan out exactly what I will be eating. It makes me feel better knowing I won’t go over my points or over eat. I will be less stressed and can actually eat something good. Also, don’t be afraid to take ½ your meal home for the next day if you get a huge portion. Just because you’re going out doesn’t mean you have to have a “special meal” and blow your points. A lot of the time the salads are REALLY good and can be low in points, especially if you ask for the dressing on the side. That way you can control the amount you put on.. or if you’re really motivated to cut back you can dip your fork into the dressing and then pick up some salad to keep points A LOT lower. One of my favourite foods to get is the roast chicken dinner. MmmmMMmM. So good! This is also a good one to portion out and take home and portion out for lunch the next day! One thing I avoid when I eat out is french fries. Potatoes are a huge weakness for me so if I’m going to get a side it will usually be mashed potatoes (hands down my favourite food). French fries are VERY high in points and I know I have trouble with nibbling a few here and there. It’s a “you can’t eat just one” scenario.One question I like to ask myself when I’m about to blow a lot of points is “Is this really worth it?”. Then I question whether or not I’ve put any activity in lately. There have been times where I’ve had 30+ activity points (points you earn for working out) and I thought I deserved it. It is okay to splurge every now and again.. just not every time. Have your “go to” items preplanned for fast food restaurants. For example,HarveysOriginal Burger = 10 pts (thats the same as making one from home)Veggie Burger (they’re good!!) = 7 ptsGrilled Chicken Burger = 7 ptsWendysJr Hamburger Deluxe = 8 ptsGrilled Chicken Wrap = 7ptsSmall Chili= 5 ptsThink you’re making the better choice by getting a salad at Wendys? All salads ranged from 15- 24 points!McDonaldsJunior Chicken Sandwich= 7ptsHamburger= 4 ptsGrilled Chicken Snack wrap= 5ptsCheeseburger= 7ptsRemember these are just the items not complete with drink or side. I always get water no matter what as I think pop is wasted points. Also, craving something sweet? McDonalds ice cream cone is 6 pts! Which I think it great considering the cone is pretty big! A lot of the time ice cream can be very high in points for a very small amount so I enjoy this lot. I’ve heard women call eating out “impossible” and really, really hard but it doesn’t have to be. Take the time to know what your options are and go from there. If you’re unprepared you’re more likely to make a bad choice. Make good choices! Don’t let yourself down.Keep smiling!Steph